The present invention relates to the loading of objects such as boats and snowmobiles for example, onto a carrier vehicle.
In order to make use of various objects, such as boats and snowmobiles for example, it is often necessary that they be transported between locations. This can be accomplished by mounting the object on a trailer which is pulled behind a towing vehicle. However, it can be difficult to physically load the object onto the trailer, and the presence of the trailer eliminates the ability to tow other structures, such as a mobile home. Moreover, the purchase of the trailer involves an additional expense, and the trailer must be stored when not in use. When hauling an object such as a boat, the trailer is usually backed into the water for loading and unloading, which can result in physical damage occurring to the trailer produced by the water, especially by salt water.
Proposals have heretofore been made involving power actuated mechanisms for raising boats onto the roof of a carrier vehicle, thereby eliminating the need for a trailer. Exemplary of such proposals are the disclosures in U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,081 issued to Schladenhauffen on Jan. 2, 1973, U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,643 issued to Wilson on July 15, 1975, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,673 issued to Anderson on Dec. 28, 1976. The power actuated mechanisms disclosed in such patents are mounted to the vehicle and are connectible to a boat. By actuation of an electrically or manually powered winch, the boat is raised onto, or lowered from, the carrier vehicle.
However, mechanisms heretofore proposeed may be quite complex to assemble and operate, may require operation by more than one person, may be cumbersome to store, and/or may require that the boat be initially disposed in an inverted position. With regard to the latter point, it would be most convenient, especially as regards boats, to be able to load the boat while the latter is in an upright position. In this manner, the boat can be directly raised from, or set into, the water, without the need for removing an outboard motor which may be mounted on the boat.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to minimize or obviate the problems of the previously discussed type.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel apparatus for raising an object, especially a boat or snowmobile, onto a carrier vehicle.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such apparatus which can be conveniently operated by one person.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide such apparatus which lifts and deposits the object while the latter is in an upright condition.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such apparatus which is easy to assemble, disassemble, and store.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is simple to operate and relatively inexpensive to construct.